Straining
by superncisfan039
Summary: The second in the prequel series to the Parker Series. As Ari and Christina are both in DC, the stakes are high. Can Ari keep all the secrets away from the woman he loves? As Christina feels the strain of the relationship, will she take a step back and see past the game Ari is playing? Takes place around the final episode in the first season of NCIS, Reville.


Christina had just gotten back to the States. She opened her apartment door. She and her partner Meg had just been retransferred to DC. Christina almost wished she hadn't been, seeing as her boyfriend, Ari Haswari, was back in Israel. He had told her, though, that he would be visiting often for work purposes. She put her suitcase on her bed and made her way back into the living room, turning on her CD player. She picked her phone up. She had one missed call. She wasn't planning on returning it. She didn't want to talk to Sara and Grant. She plopped herself onto the couch, tired after a late night. Her cell phone rang. It was Ari's ringtone. "Hey you," she answered. It hadn't even been twelve hours and she missed him already.

"Hello, Christina. I suppose you have gotten back safely then," Ari welcomed. His accent was one of the most charming things about him.

"You may presume," Christina approved happily. "I just got settled. So what's up?"

"I will be in the area soon, and I thought it necessary to let you know," Ari explained. She loved the proper way he talked. It comforted her.

"That'll be nice. There also won't be a Meg to worry about, just in case you wanted to hang out at my place," Christina said. Meg Hilt always had a way of tormenting her when it came to Ari.

"I will try to, my love, though I will be working," Ari said with a laugh. She had quickly learned that she was one of the few people who could make him laugh so easily, his two sisters being the only other ones.

"Well, I hope you can make some time for your girlfriend who already misses you terribly," she commented.

"I miss you as well. I will try and see you a few times. I will talk to you later on," Ari said.

Ari sat across Marta, a Swedish terrorist. He had his orders already. It was time for him to show what he could do. It was time to prepare to meet Gibbs once more. "You don't strike me as one to be in a commitment with a woman," Marta observed. Ari took a sip of his wine. Normally he would agree with Marta, but Christina was something different. He loved her.

"Love is a force none can comprehend, Marta. My business is my own in that regard," Ari countered. He had that resolved in his mind. Kate Todd was a fascination only, a toy of the mind really. Christina was the real thing, an angel falling for the demon he was becoming. He had worked hard to keep everything a secret from her. He wanted to protect her. He moved a chess point. He had also just arrived in DC. Telling Christina otherwise was just another small lie in the game he continued.

"Alright then," Marta responded. Ari looked out across the horizon. He wished he didn't have to spend the night alone.

Christina was almost late to work. She had stayed up late unpacking, so she slept in. Meg was already there when Christina rushed into their office. "Did you have fun with Troy?" Christina asked, referring to Meg's fiancé. She wanted to keep Meg from asking about Ari. Meg laughed.

"Yeah, I had fun. He was just glad to see me," Meg explained. "Did you talk to Haswari?" she then asked. Ari was picky about who called him by his first name. Christina was one of the few outside of his family that was able to call him Ari.

"He called, says he'll be in town soon for work," Christina explained shortly. She still thought their conversation was short. It slightly troubled her.

Ari woke up next to Marta. Sometimes he hated the things he did to keep a cover. He got up to get a shower and take a walk. He had planning to do, but that could wait. He needed to clear his head first. Some days he hated himself more than others. Sometimes the pain caught up to him, the regret of what he was doing. He thought to Christina. He knew that she'd leave him if she knew what was going on, and that almost killed him inside. He took a look outside at his motorcycle. That's what he needed. He used the adrenaline to forget everything, to erase the moments before. It made him feel whole. He couldn't understand it. He grabbed his leather jacket.

Eli sat at his desk. He had just gotten news of what happened during his son's last mission. Was it right to send him on another? He was beginning to doubt Ari's intentions. Eli still remembered the fight he had with Ari after Ari's mother died. Eli had killed her. He had trained her son to kill. Then he trained his eldest daughter. Regret settled in. Was any of it worth anything?

Christina still hadn't heard from Ari by lunch. It was strange. She wondered what he could be doing. It wasn't like him to not call her, or at the very least send her a text. She had called a few times. Was he flying?

Ari stared at his phone. Christina had called for the third time today. He just ignored it, putting his phone on silent. Tomorrow was going to be busy. He had done a lot of work for the plan that would take place the next day. He sighed, knowing he was probably driving Christina crazy. She had to be worried. He leaned back in his chair. Wine sat on the table in front him. Normally, being in the mood he was, he'd drink it all down, but he just didn't feel like it. Perhaps it was the thought of Christina. She didn't drink, which he considered strange. He had learned who she really was. He knew her father. He wished it didn't have to be that way. He had to visit Christina. He couldn't keep ignoring her. "I'll be out for the night," he told Marta.

"Where are you going, Haswari?" she asked in return.

"I promised a friend I'd meet with them. I will see you tomorrow, Marta," he explained, grabbing his jacket and motorcycle helmet. The sun was just beginning to set.


End file.
